Credits

I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Noelle's Favourite Hachiro Kasuga Songs Composed by Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴作曲お気に入りの春日八郎曲)

2024 is Hachiro Kasuga's (春日八郎) centenary. Since Hachi is my No.1, I've decided to attempt a Hachi Centenary Project where I'll produce articles on him to commemorate the occasion. I'm aiming for one a month, should my schedule permit, but we'll see how things go. I'm saving a long overdue update on my Top Favourite Hachiro Kasuga Song List for his birthday and death anniversary month of October, so in the meantime, I'll either do the usual song features or Author's Picks lists. If any other KKP contributor would like to add to this project, please feel free to do so. And if readers would like to see certain songs/lists related to Kasuga, feel free to make requests. Anyways, this brings me to today's very specific list: My favourite Hachiro Kasuga songs composed by Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴)

Why this very specific list? It's simply because I've just been listening to Nakano and Nakano-made Hachi stuff a lot recently (as you can probably tell), so I figured that a list of some of my favourite stuff from the Hachi-Mr. Nakano combo would be a good start to this project. Also, I have monke brain: Me see favourite singer sing song made by other favourite singer, me happy. As I've been saying, this is essentially a "Buy 1 get 1 Free" deal.

Mr. Nakano from 1955; Hachi from around 1956 (?)

As I've mentioned before, from 1952 onwards, both Hachi and Mr. Nakano were under King Records. Technically speaking, Hachi had been under King since 1947, but more of a reserve singer in training of sorts and never got his official debut as a professional singer of the company until December 1952. Mr. Nakano signed on as a composer and singer some time in June (?) 1952, but dropped the latter role after his first single under this label didn't do so hot and simply stuck to melody-making. Mr. Nakano composed a fair number of songs for Hachi - around 26 songs over the span of 10 years between 1953 and 1963 or so, assuming I read and mathed Hiroyuki Kondo's (近藤博之) consolidated list on Nakano's postwar works right. 

A cursory look at Kondo's list seems to show that Nakano composed more stuff for minyo star Michiya Mihashi (三橋美智也). My impression is that the Michi-Mr. Nakano combo produced more hits of a much larger scale compared to the Hachi-Mr. Nakano combo, which seemed to only produce middling hits at best. Conversely, it was Hachi's collaboration with Isao Hayashi (林伊佐緒), another singer-turned-(mostly) composer, that spawned well-known numbers. This being the case, this article will put the spotlight on some of Hachi’s lesser-known discography entries. Honestly, I wouldn’t even have known some of them existed if it weren’t for the fact Nakano’s name was pinned to it. Yay for my one-track mind! (?)

Even though I've yet to listen to every single Nakano-composed Kasuga song out there, I think it's fair to say that the former jazz singer created a wide variety of kayokayoku for the younger artiste. This ranged from stuff akin to traditional Japanese folk tunes to urban jazzy numbers. Suffice to say that I think Hachi handled them pretty well, owing to his flexible vocal delivery. But I have to admit that some of these Nakano Melody (this term feels so weird to say) don’t necessarily fit my image of Hachi and sound more like what I feel the composer himself would’ve sung and not the singer he provided for. And, objectively speaking, some of these just sound like any run-of-the-mill pop song from the 1950s-1960s. That said, there are some that stand out to me there with their unique and refreshing arrangements, giving them a sound unlike what I might ordinarily hear from that era. 

In a short article on Nakano from June 1955, the musician compared his music-making process at King to adding butter to miso soup ("Tsumari, miso shiru no naka e bata wo ireyoutte, wake nandesuyo."). I'm fairly certain he was alluding to putting his own Western music flair (the butter) into Japanese kayokyoku (the miso soup) by playing around with the musical accompaniments. I wonder if that explains those stand-out bits. Then again, it could just be because I'm being unconsciously/consciously bias. Either way, perhaps you might hear what I find interesting in the Hachi-Mr. Nakano songs I've listed here. Some of these songs had been re-recorded around 1970, but I have put the original versions because they're where you can hear what Nakano had intended the music to sound like.

Before going into the list proper, I'd like to mention "Tsuma Koi Touge" (妻恋峠). It's a matatabi mono with the "Komoro Magouta" (小諸馬子唄) minyo spliced into it from 1955. It's a pleasant tune that I listen to occasionally when I want to hear Hachi's folk song prowess, but I wouldn't say it's a strong favourite of mine. I must admit, though, that the echo effect when Hachi warbles the "Komoro Magouta" provides quite the immersive experience.Was it a Nakano idea? I don't know, but it's likely since Michi's "Tassha de na" (達者でナ), another Nakano Melody, utilizes this echo effect too. Either way, this effect here makes it feel as though we are on the road with our wandering traveler and his voice reverberates through the Nagano mountain range as he belts out the "Komoro Magouta". I believe "Tsuma Koi Touge" was the first hit spawned by the Hachi-Mr. Nakano combo and likely the first middling hit after Hachi's unbeatably popular "Otomi-san" (お富さん), so I wanted to give it some acknowledgement. 

Okay, time for the list.

Otoko no Butai (男の舞台) (1955)

I wrote about this tune ages ago in 2017, and I said that the music was "what first drew me to (it)." Finally, something 2024 Noelle can shake hands with 2017 Noelle on. "Otoko no Butai" seems to be a Kasuga fan favourite and, in fact, it's said that Hachi himself actually liked this quite a lot too. Apparently, in preparation for its release, our dear singer got himself a new outfit and even learned the dance moves. I mean, it's hard not to see why this was well-liked. "Otoko no Butai" is a dramatic kabuki-inspired tune which reflects the trials and tribulations of being a stage performer - thought to be a reason why Hachi liked it. The original recording is snappy and the traditional percussions and wind instruments go wild. Yet, despite its raucous sound, there is a refined elegance to it that showcases said performer's professional front as they step on to the stage. On a different note, the sound of "Otoko no Butai" reminds me of Taro Shoji's (東海林太郎) wartime entry "Ginza Owaricho" (銀座尾張町). I wonder if Mr. Nakano had been listening to that and took a hint. 

I wish I could see that dance Hachi picked up. He merely bobbed up and down or did a muted jig in the clips I see of him. So to see a full dance from him would be akin to striking the lottery for me. Yes, I know my priorities are skewed.

Funauta Tsukiyo (船唄月夜) (1956)

Totemo su . te . ki janaika? Kono uta. In one of Hachi's 15th anniversary albums, King Records lyricist and creative director Ryo Yano (矢野亮) made a curious remark: Hachi's sailor-themed songs (madorosu mono) strangely tend to only receive lukewarm reactions. I'm inclined to agree, since my favourites don’t really include any specifically sailor tunes. Wharf-themed tunes, for sure. But not really tunes that feature sailors sailing the high seas. And then came "Funauta Tsukiyo". This is a jolly tune marked by this bouncy . little . bit towards the end of each stanza, giving the song an element of fun and mischief. This rhythmic segment is both memorable and a reflection of the trope of a carefree lifestyle in sailor songs, I feel. Admittedly, Hachi sounded a bit stiff in the original recording, but his delivery became much spunkier in the re-recorded version many years later. I wish I could see footage of Hachi singing this too. I can imagine him doing his little bounce.

Tokyo no Ari (東京の蟻) (1959)

This feels like the type of composition close to what Nakano would've ordinarily liked to make if he’d no obligation to “make (kayokyoku) that’ll sell”: Something bluesy/jazzy and mostly Western-sounding. He made many of this sort under King, but "Tokyo no Ari" seems to be one of the rare moderate successes. Its chaotic style isn't something I usually hear from Hachi, but it's pretty refreshing. This is another piece Hachi seemed to have taken a liking to for its unique sound.


Ore wa Hitoripocchi (俺は一人ぽっち) (1960)

I could be wrong, but it seemed like Mr. Nakano began incorporating what I think sounds like an electric organ (?) into his works from around this time. Or, at least, with more frequency. I like the deep, rolling drums and rattling percussions, especially at the start, which gives "Ore wa Hitoripocchi" a very slight bossa nova feel amid the swelling strings and frenetic piano. But I'm personally not a fan of the wobbly twang of the electric organ (?) as it kind of cuts the dramatic flair the song gives. Speaking of dramatic flair, my goodness, Hachi's vocals here felt off the charts! In general, I like Hachi's delivery for its gentleness, but can he heartily belt out songs when he needs to. And he can do so without losing that delicate and sentimental nature. 

Hoshi yo Omae ga Koibito da (星よお前が恋人だ) (1960)

Hoshi yo Omae ga Koibito da” is on a similar vein to "Tokyo no Ari", albeit less intense and of a more somber tone. I actually like melody of this one more than the more popular latter, and I think the wobbly whine of the electric organ (?) works better here when it does appear. It provides "Hoshi yo..." with a haunting atmosphere, but it does make it feel less raw than “Tokyo no Ari”. This tune showcases more of the lower range of Hachi's vocals. The lower range was what he struggled with most back when he was still in training, and even very early on in his career he did sound a bit awkward with his voice going that low. But as his voice matured as in "Hoshi yo...", I think it managed to convey the dark and more introspective nature of this tune pretty well.

Ruten no Yoru (流転の夜) (1955)

Among the Hachi-Mr. Nakano compositions I've heard thus far, I love "Ruten no Yoru" the most. I'll say it now, but it's definitely within my Top 10 Hachi tunes overall. Mr. Nakano's melody sounds so lonely, yet it's so fascinating to listen to. Hachi sounds so sad, yet conveys the song so beautifully. Tamaranai


Mr. Nakano from 1949; Hachi from the late 1950s/early 60s (?)

And with that, we've come to the end of the article. Of course, I think there are more entries by this combo that are either interesting or stuff that I enjoy, like "Tokyo Western" (this one isn't very Hachi, but it's so Nakano) and "Jirocho Tabi Shigure" (次郎長旅しぐれ) respectively. But what I've put here are a combination of both. My conclusion here is that butter in miso soup tastes good. And I'm saying it not because Mr. Nakano prepared it and Hachi served it... Okay, maybe I sort of am. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed some of Hachi's lesser-known works while also getting a little taste of what Mr. Nakano did during his postwar stint in music.

I wonder what I shall do next in the Hachi Centenary Project. Perhaps a Hachi-Michi one, or a Hachi-Hayashi one. Hayashi did also make many interesting pieces for Hachi, after all. There is also the tune by the Sannin no Kai (三人の会), the Hachi, Michi, and Muchi (Hideo Murata... 村田英雄) trio. I guess we'll see what speaks to me first.


P.S. The Ms. C who made my Mr. Nakano photo cards also educated me on the term "Bias Wrecker". This refers to another artiste you're head-over-heels for and competes with your Bias/oshi for the No.1 spot in your heart. A threatening 2nd place, if you will. In my case, this title bounces around five other fellows, and it's currently held by Nakano. I told Ms. C that, hypothetically speaking, among the other five, Mr. Nakano is the strongest competitor for 1st place. Upon reflection, he does score extremely high on my Voice-Works-Looks chart. But Hachi need not worry since he occupies a very special spot: Oshi no.1 and primary research subject. That has essentially made it impossible for any bias wrecker to topple him.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Feifei Ouyang -- Ame no Airport(雨のエアポート)

 

The weather was gloomy out there at Haneda Airport on November 18th 2017 when I was waiting for my flight back to Toronto after a couple of weeks seeing friends and going to all of the old haunts in Tokyo. Happily though, there wasn't any rain.

Perhaps singer Feifei Ouyang(欧陽菲菲)wasn't quite as lucky with her 2nd single "Ame no Airport" (Rainy Airport) which was released back in December 1971. The song was on the heels of her hit debut single "Ame no Midosuji"(雨の御堂筋)which had come out earlier in September. I gather that the songwriters and all around her felt that anything with rain in it couldn't hurt her chances for another successful tune. 

In any case, "Ame no Airport" was created by the golden partnership of lyricist Jun Hashimoto(橋本淳)and composer Kyohei Tsutsumi(筒美京平). As has often been the case with kayo kyoku involving airports, there is much romantic heartbreak in the air as a couple say their goodbyes in a middle of a dreary precipitation-laden day at presumably Haneda Airport which had been at the time the main terminal for Tokyo until Narita wrested the title away for many years. Melodically, it has that familiar kayo sound of life in the city with the horns, shimmering strings and the rollicking percussion. Ouyang's sophomore entry hit No. 4 on Oricon and ended up as the No. 31 song for 1972.


But as the commercial pitchperson says, "Wait...there's more!". On Ouyang's 4th album "Return" from September 1979, she recorded another version of "Ame no Airport" with a very slight change in the arrangement.

Chiemi Eri -- Sazae-san(サザエさん)

 

The iconic "Sazae-san" has been in existence across the broad media spectrum in Japan since its appearance as a manga in 1946. I've known it mostly for the weekly anime series that has been on since 1969. Sometime in the last ten or twenty years, I was also aware of a live-action version of "Sazae-san" starring the adorably wacky Atsuko Asano(浅野温子)but unfortunately I haven't been able to find any clips from it on YouTube.

However, I only realized that there had been an initial live-action version decades previously within the last day or so. Only a couple of years following the debut of the manga, there was a 1948 movie with actress Takarazuka Revue graduate Tonko Azumaya(東屋トン子)in the starring role. But then less than a decade later in 1956, another film, also with the title "Sazae-san", was created, this time with actress-singer Chiemi Eri(江利チエミ)as Sazae-san herself. I'm not certain but perhaps the above clip may be from that movie. She's singing one of her earlier singles "A Guy is a Guy"(ガイ・イズ・ア・ガイ)while she's doing the laundry the old-fashioned way.

Eri must have really left an impression on producers and viewers alike because several years later in late 1965, she even got her own show "Sazae-san" on TBS which lasted a couple of years. The above was apparently the main theme, simply titled "Sazae-san", a brassy and upbeat ditty with a bit of a Latin cha-cha to it. It was written by Tatsuo Miyata(宮田達男)and composed by Yoshiyuki Kouzu(神津善行). 

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Kazuhito Murata -- Taiyou no Koibito(太陽の恋人)

 

Let's see...I just returned from a rather contentious condo owners' board meeting tonight pitting the board association against the owners. Hell was unleashed and ninety minutes into the meeting, we hadn't even gotten past the first item on the agenda. With all of the accusations and anger thrown at each other, it was time for me to leave since it was obvious that nothing was going to be resolved and there is now a somewhat toxic atmosphere in our neighbourhood.

However, before I witnessed our version of "Gladiator" tonight, I had encountered a piece of good news on the blog. Back on March 3rd, I sent out an All-Points Bulletin regarding a mystery song that commenter Javier had told me about. Usually the results of our APBs have been rather hit-and-miss admittedly and it's even rarer when the person making the request for an APB actually tracks down the original song. Well, it's our lucky day.

The Future Funk song known as "Dreaming" as arranged by Cosmjc Burrito is actually singer-songwriter Kazuhito Murata's(村田和人)"Taiyou no Koibito" (Sun Lovers), and indeed Javier was the one who tracked it down. If Javier is reading this, I hope that he can let us know how he was able to figure it all out. "Taiyou no Koibito" is a track on Murata's 11th album "Sweet Vibration" from September 1995. Written by Yoshihiko Ando(安藤芳彦)and composed by Murata, it's a typically summery concoction of good vibrations and I'm indeed happy that the song has been uncovered. Some nice harmonies in there, too.

Usually when it comes to Murata's discography, I've focused on his 1980s stuff but including this 1995 entry, I have covered one other 90s song by him: "TRUST" from his 1994 album "evergreen". Anyways, a mystery is solved! Congratulations and thanks to Javier!

KAN -- Terebi no Naka ni(テレビの中に)

 

Probably like a lot of boys in my generation, one of the television stars that I rather fell hard for was actress Elizabeth Montgomery from 60s and 70s sitcom "Bewitched", so it wasn't a surprise that she's one of the earliest memories I had in my life. Perhaps a close second to her character of Samantha Stevens was Barbara Feldon's 99 from "Get Smart".

Maybe that was the thing regarding the late great singer-songwriter KAN's debut single from April 1987, "Terebi no Naka ni" (On TV). He is singing here about falling in love with some young and pretty lady who has been popping up on the tube all the time. Written and composed by KAN himself, it strikes me as being a 1960s rock n' roll-ish romp that I believe he's dipped into from time to time during his career, although I still see him more as the piano pop prince, a la "Ai wa Katsu"(愛は勝つ), his most famous hit. Therefore, "Terebi no Naka ni" sticks out as something that's a little different for him especially with him crashing down on those synths pretty hard. I'd probably say that he's channeling Elvis Costello more than Billy Joel here.

Of course, KAN did a ton of concerts so he was prancing about on stage. But for me, someone who never got to see any of his performances live, it is something to see him doing so especially when my perpetual image of him is in a natty suit permanently positioned behind the piano keys.

TENDRE -- Switch (TV Edit)

 

From NHK

"Asaichi"(あさイチ...Morning Market) is the weekday morning program on NHK appearing right after the daily morning drama serial. It's been broadcasting since about 2010, I believe. 

Currently hosted by comedians  Hanamaru-Daikichi Hakata(博多華丸・博多大吉)and NHK announcer Naoko Suzuki((鈴木奈穂子), "Asaichi" is devoted to various lifestyle topics and issues along with celebrity interviews. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any clips of the hosts themselves bantering but the above is an example of what they cover. 

The show begins in Japan at 8:15 am and usually runs until 9:55 with a 5-minute interlude for a news recap although it sometimes gets truncated during the high school baseball championships or a really rousing round of parliamentary debate (yeah, I'm being sarcastic about the latter). However, my family has been watching it on TV Japan from 1 pm to around 2:35. But as quite a lot of folks know now, TV Japan will be finishing its broadcasting history this coming Sunday to be replaced by the online streaming service Jme as of April 1st. I've been prepping things for the transition but it appears that Jme will be showing "Asaichi" via NHK Premium, the network's live streaming service so we'll be watching the show from 7:15 pm Eastern Daylight Time as of next Monday. Mind you, we'll be getting a little taste of the future tonight since TV Japan will be showing a rare nighttime version of "Asaichi" as a special.

Although it's heard only very briefly at the top of the show, there is a theme song for "Asaichi" created by musician TENDRE (pronounced "tender"). Titled "Switch (TV Edit)", it's barely over two minutes long which is too bad since it is a nice slice of light pop (sprinkled with a bit of bossa in the beginning)  for which I would have enjoyed a longer version, but perhaps the lad just wanted to make an quick and unobtrusive ditty to herald the arrival of the show rather than a full-blown single. "Switch" is available as a track on his 2nd major album "Prismatics" from September 2022.

Monday, March 25, 2024

Maki Ichiro -- Ameagari no Hoshizora(雨上がりの星空)

 

The first time that I heard this song, I kinda figured that the singer must have come from the Takarazuka Revue Company, the famous all-woman song-and-dance-and-acting troupe, just from the elegant delivery and the fact that her name was quite stylized. To be honest, she also had a certain timbre in her vocals that also reminded me of the dulcet tones of Misato Watanabe(渡辺美里).

But indeed, Maki Ichiro(一路真輝)is a graduate from the Takarazuka Revue who first entered the troupe as a teen in 1982, reaching the heights as a top star. But in 1996, she left the revue to pursue other acting opportunities on television and stage. Ichiro also released a few singles which included her debut of "Ameagari no Hoshizora" (The Starry Sky After the Rain) in October 1997. Written by Kyoko Tomita(とみたきょうこ)and composed by Joe Rinoie(ジョー・リノイエ), it's an OK pop song of its time with a funky beat that kinda skirts with Shibuya-kei. From seeing the top of that CD single in the thumbnail, the song was used as the theme for a TBS drama, "Bancha mo Debana"(番茶も出花)which also starred Ichiro.